Lesson: Get Better Faster with Lily Maase, Part 1

We’re pleased to present you with a new lesson series, Get Better Faster - All The Things Your Teacher Should Have Told You But Never Did, produced by NYC guitarist Lily Maase exclusively for Acoustic Nation!

My name is Lily Maase, and I am a guitarist, composer and educator raised in New Mexico and currently living and playing in Brooklyn, New York.

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My father, Steve Maase, first put a guitar in my hands when I was seven years old. He, my sister Arielle and I now all play and teach professionally. Together, we have a combined 90 years of experience with the instrument.

I’m excited to share a new lesson series with you called Get Better Faster - All The Things You Teacher Should Have Told You But Never Did.

A lot of teachers will try to keep your business by giving you quick fixes or showing you songs and riffs before they show you how to hold the instrument so you can actually play. Many students come to me after they “hit a wall” – they feel like they aren't getting better, their hands or wrists hurt, their technique has stopped improving, or they don't know how to find their way around the fingerboard.

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Most often, I find this is because they are missing some of the most fundamental pieces of the puzzle, and this usually begins and ends with something we often overlook when we sit down to play: our hands!

This is the first in a 5-part series that takes a detailed look at your fingers, thumbs, and wrists to examine what you might think they are doing versus what they are actually doing. Learn how to work with them effectively so those hours of practice will actually pay off.

Remember, getting better faster is not achieved by skipping steps, but by learning to do things right.